The Kapost 50 celebrates the top 50 content marketing brands and to honor these pioneers, we’ve been diving deeper into the tactics and strategies that landed each of these brands on the list. 

Today we’re talking about the New York Stock Exchange, #6 on our top-50 list.

So, why did NYSE make our top content marketers list?

In 2013, NYSE jumped into content marketing in a big way with their Big Stage project.

What is The Big Stage? It’s a storytelling platform that showcases the achievements and stories of the global NYSE community.

As Marisa Ricciardi, CMO of NYSE, says: “The Big Stage is a metaphor for the arena supported by the market quality and visibility platform that is distinctly unique to the NYSE. The companies within our global community continue to mark their achievements on our stage and this campaign is designed to explore the unique stories tied to these moments.”

Why are we so impressed by The Big Stage?

Three words: Consistency. Storytelling. Connection.

The platform is consistent in its voice, its mission, and the quality of its content. It’s driven by storytelling—not sales pitches. And it’s focused on connecting with its target audience.

What’s the strategy here?

Of course, to get such a beautiful success on the books so quickly, NYSE must have one fantastic strategy behind it. And from what we’ve seen and read, that strategy hinges on the idea of connecting with customers instead of selling to them.

As Ricciardi says in an interview with AdWeek: “[The Big Stage] helps us engage in conversations with our audience and not just market to them…I think marketing is best served when it doesn’t feel like marketing.”

NYSE also does a few things that will sound familiar to anyone who has been following along with our top marketing brands of 2013 series.

Because the brands that are rocking at content marketing? They have a lot in common. For example:

•       They use social media to understand what speaks to people and to hone their strategy.
•       They target their audience, stay on topic and focus on pleasing the right people (not everyone).
•       They use video (in an interview this summer, Ricciardi told CMO.com that video was The Big Stage’s most engaging content format).
•       They measure what’s successful and use it to inform their strategy.

In her interview with CMO.com, Ricciardi also reveals that the site was built using responsive design, so that customers across a variety of technologies can access its content. This is increasingly important moving into 2014, as more users access content through mobile devices. NYSE also publishes a print magazine, still going strong even as they’ve gone digital.